US Contact Centers Complaints Increase 40% During Downturn

Research published by ContactBabel, contact center analysts, reveals that the past two years has seen a 40 percent increase in the number of complaints made about the failures and shortcomings of US contact centers. In real terms, this means a jump from almost 550,000 negative calls in 2008 to over 770,000 in 2010. Generally, the economic downturn has driven more consumers to display negativity, stress and intolerance of mistakes, as well as there being general under-investment by companies, which has worsened the problems with the business processes and contact center systems that cause many of these complaints.

“While these figures look worrying, we should note that on average four out of five complaints received by a contact center are not about how the staff handle calls, but rather about a failure of processes elsewhere in the organization,” said the report’s author, Steve Morrell. “This widespread and short-sighted failure of businesses to see the contact center as part of a larger organic whole is the main reason that many people dislike using contact centers: too often, agents are simply not given the tools they need to solve the customer’s problem.